Historic Lemon Houses of Gargnano: Preserved Citrus Heritage since the 1400s

Extremely protected historic monuments, the ancient lemon houses (limonaie). They joined the tourist circuit in 2001, launched by the Mountain Community, to be visited, studied, and to capture their enchanting atmosphere.

Many holidaymakers are fascinated by the magnificent lemon houses of Gargnano, Maderno, Limone, and especially by the epitome of a lemon house at Prà de la Fam, with some purchasing one as a holiday home perched directly above the lake, fully respecting its integrity as outlined by the regulations.

Origins and characteristics of the lemon houses

“The lemon gardens arose in the 1400s thanks to the ‘discovery’ by the Franciscan friars. An idea quite bizarre—cultivating, at the 43rd parallel, a citrus fruit that typically thrives in Sicily and nearby regions.

For obvious climatic reasons, they had to invent constructions replete with pillars over ten meters high on the steep coastlines.

Approximately one hundred former lemon houses still remain today.”